Have you ever dreamed of going to a restaurant that is 100% Gluten Free run by a chef and staff who truly care?! Well let me introduce you to Chef Peter Pollay from Posana Cafe! This man is amazing! I was honored to sit down with him a few weeks ago to learn about his impressive story and his restaurant. To say this chef’s resume is impressive is an understatement He has worked directly under Wolfgang Puck, graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America, worked under Dave Burke, and done catering for high end sky boxes at stadiums. He has worked in restaurants in Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and now has his own restaurant in Asheville, NC.
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Why does such a talented chef decide to come to NC and run a 100% Gluten Free restaurant you ask? Enter his wife, Martha, who was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2004. They moved to NC for a slower pace of life for their family in 2003 and Peter was actually in real estate at the time. When she was diagnosed with CD Peter used his cooking knowledge to turn the whole house Gluten Free and make good meals for the whole family. Peter said his strategy was to have a protein, a vegetable, a starch and a sauce. Peter and his family would frequent the local farmer’s market in Asheville to get their family produce.
When the perfect location in downtown Asheville opened up, Peter and Martha jumped on the chance to open their own restaurant. As they talked about what it would look like it just made sense to cook the same kinds of food they made at home – Gluten Free meals.
Peter used his relationships from the farmers market to focus on farm to table food. In his early years as a chef Peter learned from Wolfgang Puck that you need to respect the ingredient through the whole process. These days Peter actually visits the farms where his vegetables come from to understand all the work that goes into growing the produce. He wants to know what is going in his body and create meals to “Feed Your Well-Being“, which is the motto of Posana Cafe. The menu is seasonal based on what is locally available. They make everything in house including their drinks! No soda machine in Pollay’s restaurant.
Another cool thing about Posana Cafe is that they do not make a big deal that their restaurant as a Gluten Free restaurant. They describe themselves as An Upscale Casual Farm-to-Table Restaurant Featuring A Locally Inspired, Seasonal Menu. When you go in your don’t have to ask for the Gluten Free menu because everything is already GF – just imagine!
During my discussion with Chef Peter I was able to ask him some questions about cooking for a Gluten Free family. What is Chef Peter’s favorite ingredient you ask? The answer is ginger! Since I have never used ginger he was gracious enough to give me some tips and some quick recipes. I also asked him how he gets his two kids to eat their vegetables. He says he just doesn’t hide them. They eat kale chips for snacks and make eating vegetables fun. What does Chef Peter see as the biggest challenge for a Gluten Free child? Making them feel normal. He says to help them feel they are no different from anyone else and help the family accommodate the GF person and remove Gluten from the house.
I have had the pleasure of tasting Chef Peter’s food at a number of GF expos and have gone back for seconds! His pasta is amazing and you can tell the vegetables are fresh. A trip to Asheville is in my near future just to visit Posana Cafe. If I plan it correctly I can hit it for dinner Friday, brunch and lunch on Saturday. And don’t worry you will hear all about what I eat!
If you are ever close to Asheville, NC I encourage you to make a trip to Posana Cafe and try some of Chef Peter’s amazing GF food!
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